A compelling story of Lucy Sams' (the author's great great grandmother) life during the Civil War as a slave in Madison County, Kentucky, through her flight to Camp Nelson, Kentucky, a haven of refuge.

"This is an age of wonders, and not the least among them is the celebration of the Fourth of July at Camp Nelson, Kentucky, by the colored people. To see so many thousands, who a year ago were slaves, congregate in the heart of a slave State and celebrate the day sacred to the cause of freedom, 'with none to molest or make afraid,' was a grand spectacle. It was the first time we have ever been permitted to celebrate the Nation's Day." Sergeant William A. Warfield, 119th United States Colored Infantry Regiment (1864).

Six Kentucky USCT infantry regiments (109th - Louisville; 114th - Camp Nelson; 115th - Bowling Green; 116th - Camp Nelson; 117th - Covington; and 122nd - Louisville) participated in the Siege of Petersburg and Richmond, Virginia. The 109th, 114th, 116th and 117th participated in the Appomattox Court House Campaign and the surrender of General Robert E. Lee and his Army.

The six regiments were assigned to the 25th Army Corps and deployed to Texas after General Lee's surrender at Appomattox Court House, Virginia on April 9, 1865.

The 107th U. S. Colored Infantry Regiment, organized at Louisville, participated in the Siege of Petersburg, Virginia from November 3 to December 7, 1864, and reassigned to the Carolinas Campaign, subsequently participating in the surrender of General Joseph E. Johnston and his Army.